We applaud it but when big companies support this with tons of resources it's just them trying to drive labor costs down aka lower salaries for us.
Former Google Design Ethicist: Big Tech in Schools Is Race to the Bottom (2018)
41–49 of 49 posts
Re: Former Google Design Ethicist: Big Tech in Schools Is Race to the Bottom (2018)
#42Earlier quoted context omitted.
So, if your child goes to a school which has "gone Google", personal information about your student is sent to Google without your consent, and their sole path to success depends on interacting with and sending more data to Google. Students are often required to purchase[1], carry, and use Google-controlled hardware daily as part of their routine. The student has no choice (and no chance at privacy), because the deci…
There are absolutely accommodations that can be made for parents who don't want certain aspects of the students data to enter the G Suite system. But you have to participate and engage with your district, and not just let the wheels of bureaucracy turn for new student enrollment.
I'd be very curious what you mean here. I can definitely understand the possibility of being entered in under another name or the like, to try and avoid traditional PII, but students are supposed to complete and submit work through Google Classroom as well. Particularly in light of Google's AI work, things like an essay a student submitted is, at the very least, personal data, but very possibly, personally identifiable information. There is no realistic anonymity from just hiding someone's name.
I have significant doubts the school district is going to be particularly tolerant of "grade all students on Google Classrom, but this student needs to be graded by hand and recorded on paper" requests.
Re: Former Google Design Ethicist: Big Tech in Schools Is Race to the Bottom (2018)
#43Check out Shoshano Zuboff's new book - survelliance economy. pretty fascinating stuff.
Re: Former Google Design Ethicist: Big Tech in Schools Is Race to the Bottom (2018)
#44Earlier quoted context omitted.
how about subsidies and open development for these sorts of software? seems to be doing ok in the raspberry pi arena, etc...
I think the challenge is that it’s hard to compete with the large vendors on a full stack, turn key solution. It’s one thing for a STEAM focused specialist to pull together a disparate set of open source apps into a workable model but your typical teacher doesn’t have the time to do that and still focus on their day job. Most teachers need technical solutions that are integrated, work 99% of the time, and have a very…
I totally agree! My partner is a 7th grade science teacher. She is more competent from a technical perspective than most of the other teachers at her school and she utilizes Chromebooks, and Google Classroom to its fullest. She is really pleased with them as tools, because the alternatives are of such poor quality. Maybe I should go in and give a mini lesson on the privacy implications of using Google/monopolies in tech.
Re: Former Google Design Ethicist: Big Tech in Schools Is Race to the Bottom (2018)
#45Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why do we need to go to Mars? Edit: I realize it’s an unpopular question here, but other than it being cool - why do we need a Mars colony?
Off-site backup
That’s not an argument for Mars, it’s an argument for living somewhere other than just Earth. A distant, low-g, airless, wasteland seems like an odd choice for that. If we’re going to have to terraform, at least Venus has an atmosphere and some tectonic activity, and even space stations or asteroids would be more feasible than Mars.
So why Mars?
Re: Former Google Design Ethicist: Big Tech in Schools Is Race to the Bottom (2018)
#46Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think the challenge is that it’s hard to compete with the large vendors on a full stack, turn key solution. It’s one thing for a STEAM focused specialist to pull together a disparate set of open source apps into a workable model but your typical teacher doesn’t have the time to do that and still focus on their day job. Most teachers need technical solutions that are integrated, work 99% of the time, and have a very…
I totally agree! My partner is a 7th grade science teacher. She is more competent from a technical perspective than most of the other teachers at her school and she utilizes Chromebooks, and Google Classroom to its fullest. She is really pleased with them as tools, because the alternatives are of such poor quality. Maybe I should go in and give a mini lesson on the privacy implications of using Google/monopolies in t…
7th grade is completely reasonable to start opening their eyes to how the real world works - i.e. pretty much every person/company/entity you encounter is trying to manipulate you according to their own agenda. I wonder how we can balance the sense of wonder and optimism of youth with the hard lessons they need to know as they sally forth in the world.
Re: Former Google Design Ethicist: Big Tech in Schools Is Race to the Bottom (2018)
#47I can see how forcing kids onto FB is a major issue, but the article seemed to imply the same was true for other Big Tech EDU platforms (AFAIK the main ones being Google Classroom and Microsoft Teams for Education) Do the same issues exist in these platforms?
I'm an educator in a 'Google' school board. We use google products for all documentation, and it's given me pause to think that Google's ML algorithms will be combing through allegedly confidential documents. Is it appropriate for a 3rd grader's bathroom accidents to be documented 'in the cloud', subject to Google's massive profile-making engine? Google Apps for Education (or whatever the title) makes assurances agai…
If its unclear, people need to speak up and promote alternative platforms
Re: Former Google Design Ethicist: Big Tech in Schools Is Race to the Bottom (2018)
#48Earlier quoted context omitted.
I totally agree! My partner is a 7th grade science teacher. She is more competent from a technical perspective than most of the other teachers at her school and she utilizes Chromebooks, and Google Classroom to its fullest. She is really pleased with them as tools, because the alternatives are of such poor quality. Maybe I should go in and give a mini lesson on the privacy implications of using Google/monopolies in t…
7th grade is completely reasonable to start opening their eyes to how the real world works - i.e. pretty much every person/company/entity you encounter is trying to manipulate you according to their own agenda. I wonder how we can balance the sense of wonder and optimism of youth with the hard lessons they need to know as they sally forth in the world.
A very good point you make - it's hard to walk the line with regards to keeping it real but not crushing students. For example, teaching climate change can be challenging.
Re: Former Google Design Ethicist: Big Tech in Schools Is Race to the Bottom (2018)
#49Earlier quoted context omitted.
Off-site backup
That’s not an argument for Mars, it’s an argument for living somewhere other than just Earth. A distant, low-g, airless, wasteland seems like an odd choice for that. If we’re going to have to terraform, at least Venus has an atmosphere and some tectonic activity, and even space stations or asteroids would be more feasible than Mars. So why Mars?
Because I'm nearly through the second book of Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy...